The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-12-08


Carrolls home in Howard county, they will
make frequent visits TO Washington, if they
do not spend their entire winters here.
The indications are that the coming session
Of congress is to be one of the liveliest in our
history The tariff is to be thoroughly over
hauled, and we will have speeches on free
trade and protection for weeks together after
the holidays. The interstate commerce ques-
ton is to again come up, and a half dozen
senator's and as many representatives have
bills to propose for a postal telegraph. These
movements win not be made merely for bun
combe, and it may be that the government
win fix telegraphic rates. Itcannot, of course,
regulate those of the Western Union or OF
any companies now in existence, but congress
can authorize the buying of certain lines or
the leasing of others, or the making Of its
own lines Senator Edmunds wants the
government to build its own lines Senator
Cullom is in favor of either constructing
lines OF leasing them, and there are number
of Others who oppose the whole scheme on the
ground that it will add to the clerical force
of the government. Edmunds wants the
government to run the telegraph just as it
does the postoffices, and he thinks such
system could be inaugurated with little
The hangings at Chicago and the socialistic
elements which have come SO prominently
before the country within the past year OF 50
are to be other subjects Of congressional dis
cussion, and number of the leading senator's
have pronounced ideas on theextension Of the
limit of the naturalization law. Senator
Mitchell, of Oregon, thinks that foreigners
should live at least ten years in this country
fhav al TO- H. l.
sure but the limit should DO extended to
fifteen years.
Labor questions will form another subject
of legislation, and both of the leading parties
will do their best to catch the labor vote.
Martin Foran, the congressman of Cleveland,
who started life as cooper, and who Is
looked upon as one of the leaders of the labor
element, will have new bills to propose, and
bills of a similar nature may be expected
from Congressman John 0'Neill, of ST. Louis
Senator Mitchell, by the way, is Mrs. Hal
liday's lawyer in the great Ben Halliday will
contest. Ben Halliday died last summer.
having made great fortune in the express
business, and he left from 81, 200, 900 to 81
100000. Some years before he died he mads
will, in which he appointed S. l.. NJ Bar
low, a lawyer, of New York; man named
Hampton, of Portland, Ore, and his broth ar,
Joe Halliday, then rich man at San Fran.
cisco, as his executors. Some time after this
will was made he became slightly embarrass-
ed, and he borrowed of his brother Joe $780,
600, giving him mortgages on certain real
and personal property which he owned in
Portland. These mortgages, at his brothers
suggestion, were made to read as though they
were absolute deeds, and the property which
they covered was about equal to the amount
of the loan Two or three years after this
Ben Halliday concluded to pay Off these
mortgages, and the property had in the
meantime increased to three times It's
value, or to about 100000 He took
$4,000 to his brother Joseph and asked for
his mortgages. To his surprise his brother
claimed that the property had been sold TO
him absolutely, and he intended to keep IL
Ben contested the matter in the courts, and
the supreme court Of Oregon decided that the
prima facie deeds were mortgages, and that
the property belonged to him. This, Of
course, caused a GOODNESS between Ben and
his brother Joe. They did not smile as they
passed by, and had no relations whatever
with each other. When matters were in this
condition Ben Halliday died. In the mean
time Hampton had died and Joe Halliday
had moved 10 Portland. When the will Of
Ben Halliday was called for no other could
be found but the one which made Joseph one
| Of his executors. The law of Oregon pro
| vides that nonresident cannot act as the
executor of a will, and Joseph was hence the
| sole executor To this Mrs. Halliday decid.
| eddy objected, and she Is now contesting the
will One superstition is that Halliday made
another will and that 1t was destroyed, and
Senator Mitchell says he expects to gain his
case.
noticed remarkable instance Of the ups
and downs Of Washington society in one of
| the Street cars here yesterday The car was
crowded, and number of young men, some
| of whom were extreme dudes, had seats No
ladies' were standing, except one colored SER
want girl At this moment fine looking,
gray haired lady, richly dressed, entered the
car. She was over the medium height, as
straight as an arrow, and she had one of the
kindest and most beautiful faces have ever
scen on an old woman. Every line Of her
| face was refined, and though her thick hair
was Of silvery white, her bright blue eyes
were full Of life She wore mourning, and
there was a crepe veil fastened to her bonnet.
| She stepped into the car, and, seeing there
were no seats, she unassumingly caught hold
Of a strap and prepared to stand. Size did
stand for two squares and none OF these
| Washington dudes rose to give her a seat
| until they were asked to do so by gen.
tleman standing beside me. Still this same
| lady was once mistress of the White House,
and she presided over part of an adminis-
tration which socially was as brilliant as any
in our history. 1t was John Tyler's daugh-
| ter, who Is now an inmate Of the millionaire
! Corcoran's home for old ladies and who, not
outstanding ther reduced circumstances, Is
as fne lady as lives in the world today.
recognized her as she took her seat, and as she
didso the contrast between now and nearly
fifty years ago entered my mind She was
then as much feted and toadicd as Mrs.
| Cleveland is today. She must have been
fully as beautiful as Mrs. Cleveland, and
doubt not the society columns were full of her
doings and her dresses. Then street cars were
unknown, and her brother John, ''the hand
soonest man in Washington" drove his four
finland. Now John lives off his income as q
treasury clerk, and his sister is dependent
| upon the benefactions Of millionaire.
Truly Dame Fortune cuts strange capers in
this world of oursl THOMAS j. TODD.
|
The Gem OF the Collection.
know small boy Of tender years VINO is
| going TO give himself an awful lot Of trouble
when he grows up. He has developed a
| ef,on0 TASTE for memenfoes and ha kaena